49121 Environmental Assessment and Planning

Subject level: Postgraduate

Subject coordinator

Mr. Ken Halstead
Phone: 02 9514 2640
Email: ken.halstead@uts.edu.au
Room: Building 2, Level 5, Room 522.
Consultation Hours: Monday – Thursday. Refer to sign on door.

Contacting staff
If you wish to discuss subject material or need further help with understanding concepts in the subject, please see the lecturer after lectures, or during consultation hours. If you are unable to attend as arranged, please email and suggest several alternative times when you will be available. Email messages will be responded to within two working days. Phone messages will NOT be responded to.

Handbook description

This subject analyses the principles of ecologically sustainable development and the expectations it places on various aspects of human interaction with the environment. Existing and proposed measures by governments are examined in the areas of environmental legislation, environmental economics and land-use planning in relation to sustainable development.

Subject objectives/outcomes

AIMS:
This subject aims to provide the local government engineer with:

1. Knowledge of principles of sustainable development and how they affect human interactions with the environment;
2. A clear understanding of the legal framework of the NSW environmental planning legislation;
3. An appreciation of environmental economics and land use planning in relation to sustainable development;
4. A solid background knowledge of the principles and procedures of environmental planning, as they affect the engineering and service functions in local government.

OBJECTIVES:
This subject aims to provide the Local Government Engineer with:

1. The necessary skills to operate within the framework of legislative requirements and procedures governing local government in N.S.W.
2. The appropriate knowledge of the law, to operate effectively having regard to economic, social, physical and environmental constraints.
3. The legislative knowledge and expertise to manage technical aspects of the operation of the local government sector.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject offers a course of study of environmental planning techniques embracing the philosophy of environmental sustainability. It can be taken separately as part of other postgraduate courses.

This subject together with other subjects in the Local Government Engineering Major, enhance the knowledge base of the practising local government engineer. It likewise ensures that the necessary skills to perform at a higher level of engineering and engineering management in the local government industry are afforded the students.

The flexible structure of the Master of Engineering Studies course allows recently graduated engineers and experienced technical and engineering specialists to deepen knowledge and skills gained in their first degree and/or at their workplace.

Participants will increase their knowledge of NSW environmental planning law through a rigorous learning process, whereby the student gains experience in local government environmental planning workplace scenarios. In this regard the student will be armed with the necessary skills to operate effectively within the local government engineering industry.

Teaching and learning strategies

Lecture material in printed form is available from UTS Printing Services. Lectures will be enhanced by using an overhead projector, whiteboard and power-point presentations. Audio visual presentations, including DVD’s of actual on-site local government engineering works form part of the learning experience.

Workshops are undertaken whereby local government town planning concepts and conceptual projects/undertakings are worked through by students in groups of 2.

The subject is taught in Block Mode whereby the student is expected to attend all three (3) blocks of one and a half (1 ½) days. There is approximately 4-5 weeks between blocks.

The lecturer will present lectures and work through examples and “case studies” with the class during the sessions (blocks).

Students are expected to undertake study outside the classroom, which must be at least the equivalent in hours to those spent in the classroom.

Content

• Evolution of planning;
• NSW environmental planning legislation;
• Planning Technique and Procedure;
• Planning processes and neighbourhood planning;
• Land and Environment Court of NSW;
• Environmental impact assessment;
• Development control and the civil/environmental engineer;
• Land capability and Environmental Studies;
• Conservation of landscape resources;
• Ecological sustainability in urban areas;
• The effect of climate change on the environment;
• Geotechnical considerations in planning;
• Project Control Techniques and Standards.

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Project - Environmental Planning:

Assessment item 2: Final Examination:

Minimum requirements

In order to gain a “Pass” in the subject, you must gain a mark of no less than 30/60 in the Final Examination and 50/100 overall in the Subject.

Accordingly students must enter into a learning contract in this regard.

Required text(s)

There is no required or recomended text. Instead a printed set of lecture note is available from UTS Printing Services. A copy of the Subject Outline will be made available on the UTSOnline site for this subject.

Indicative references

1. Beder, S, 1993, 'The Nature of Sustainable Development', Scribe Publications, Newham, Victoria
2. Farrier, D, 1993, 'Environmental Law Hand Book', Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, Sydney
3. Eisner, Simon, Gallion A & Eisner, Stanley. “The Urban Pattern”, (Sixth Edition), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1993. ISBN 0-4442-00752-3
4. Lyster, R., Lipman, Z., Franklin, N., Wiffen, G. & Pearson, L. “Environmental and Planning Law in New South Wales”, The Federation Press, Sydney, 2007. ISBN 978 186287 630 9.
5. World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, 'Our Common Future', Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1987